"It's unfortunate that the entire country is a racist country," the 71-year-old star told the Associated Press at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday. "This is one example of the fact that even though some people have given great performances in movies they weren't even thought about."

DeVito's comments come on the heels of the Academy announcing that they are institutionalizing new guidelines after some A-list actors said they would be boycotting the awards show this year. "We are living in a country that discriminates and has certain racist tendencies so sometimes it's manifested in things like this and it's illuminated," the Always Sunny in Philadelphia star continued. "But just generally speaking we're racists. We are a bunch of racists."

ET spoke with Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs this weekend about the Oscars drama, and she seemed optimistic about the future of the awards show once the new guidelines are in place. "It means more inclusion. It means inviting in women, non-whites, more diverse group of filmmakers, international, young," she explained. "All that meet the criteria of the Academy."